2024 Coaches Conference - Sunday, January 7, 2024

The BR coaches conference is a great opportunity for area boys’ and girls' coaches (HS, MS and Youth) to come together and improve their lacrosse knowledge. We have some of the best college and club coaches who will share their knowledge, experience and expertise to better help you prepare for the upcoming season. We expect that there will be 20+ separate sessions (3 or 4 per hour) during the course of the day.

Cost / Registration

  • $85 a coach.  Bring 4 or more coaches and get $10 off per coach ($75 a coach).

    • A full lunch buffet is included in the registration fee
      • Caesar Salad, Italian Sausage and Peppers, Chicken Romano,
      • Grilled and Breaded Eggplant, Tomato Penne, Garlic Bread, Antipasto,
      • Tiramisu.
      • Coffee, Decaf, Water, Iced Tea, Soda Pop

 

  • To register one (1) coach or ten (10) coaches please click on the link below

Coaches Conference Information

  • Dates: Sunday, January 7, 2024
  • Time: 8:30 am to 5 pm
  • Location: Hilton Garden Inn, 8971 Wilcox Drive, Twinsburg, OH 44087
  • Schedule:
    • 8:30 am - Round 1 (3 to 4 presentations)
    • 9:40 am - Round 2 (3 to 4 presentations)
    • 10:50 am - Round 3 (3 to 4 presentations)
    • 12 / noon - Keynote Speaker / Buffet Lunch (Included with registration)
    • 1:30 pm - Round 4 (3 to 4 presentations)
    • 2:40 pm - Round 5 (3 to 4 presentations)
    • 3:50 pm - Round 6 (3 to 4 presentations)

2024 Presenters (As of October 2023)

  • Anthony Ameo, Burning River - Faceoffs A to Z
  • Woody Calleri, Burning River - TBD
  • Michael Caravana, Razor Lacrosse Consulting - Why Not Play an Aggressive Man Down Defense!
  • Corinne Desrosiers, Duquesne HC, Women's Lacrosse – TBD
  • Angelica Gero, Kenyon College HC, Women's Lacrosse – Man Defense For The Whole Unit
  • Rachael Griffith, Otterbein HC, Women's Lacrosse – TBD
  • B.J. Jenkins, Gilmour Academy / Burning River -TBD (Youth Lacrosse Focus)
  • P. J. Kavanagh, Burning River - TBD (Youth Lacrosse Focus)
  • Ryan Kuhn, Trine University HC, Men's Lacrosse – TBD
  • Paige Messersmith, OWU HC, Women's Lacrosse – Situational Sets; Player Up/Down
  • Mike Perrino, Robert Morris OC, Mens' Lacrosse - TBD
  • Nat St. Laurent, Ohio Northern HC / PLL Redwoods HC, Men's Lacrosse – TBD
  • Eric Seideman, College of Wooster HC, Men's Lacrosse – Riding/10-man ride
  • Alexander Skvarch, Thiel AC, Men's Lacrosse – TBD
  • Erin Smith, Walsh, Women's Lacrosse – TBD
  • Adam Stewart, Capital HC, Men's Lacrosse - The Psychology of Being (and Building) Great Teammates
  • Wendy Stone, Niagara College HC, Women's Lacrosse – TBD
  • Andrew Whitley, Bellarmine HC, Men's Lacrosse – Program Building (Staff, Fundraising, Managing Admin, etc.)
  • Maddie Wilson, U of Akron AC, Women's Lacrosse - Goalie World
  • Lawrence Wynn, Gilmour Academy, Strength & Conditioning -  How to best condition your athletes for success

2024 Presentation Schedule

2024 Schedule

Details On 2023 Presenters

Jim Rogalski – Assistant Coach – Univ. of Michigan

Coach Jim Rogalski, the Assistant Coach, Def. Coordinator and Recruiting Coordinator at the University of Michigan, joins the ranks of our coaching convention speakers. Coach Rogalski brings extensive experience across two decades in both the Division I and Division III Lacrosse. An Assistant Coach at schools such as Rutgers, Drexel and Washington & Lee, Coach Rogalski also served as the Head Coach at the University of Scranton where he led the Royals to their first conference championship and NCAA berth. Coach Rogalski played collegiately at St. Mary’s College of Md where he earned All-Conference honors.

Sam Ashton – Head Coach – Lake Erie College

We are excited to welcome Lake Erie College Head Coach Sam Ashton. A long-time assistant and offensive coordinator at Lake Erie during the program’s most competitive period, Coach Ashton helped The Storm reach the national semi-final in a season where they beat the eventual national champ during the regular season. After two years as the Head Coach at the University of Dallas where he set the school record for wins in a season, Coach Ashton returned to Painesville, OH as the Head Coach. Coach Ashton was an All-American, all-conference player and conference champ during his playing days at Lenoir-Rhyne.

Mike Perrino – Assist. Coach – Baldwin Wallace

With extensive experience at several colleges, Mike Perrino is a well-respected and well-established offensive mind in the college lacrosse world. Currently the Assistant Coach and Offensive Coordinator at Baldwin Wallace University, Coach Perrino’s prior position was at St. John Fisher as a member of the Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year. With stops at Ohio Wesleyan and John Carroll University, his teams have multiple appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Coach Perrino played Division I lacrosse at Canisius College and he also played professionally for two seasons with the Ohio Machine of Major League Lacrosse.

Ryan Rhode – Assist. Coach – Denison University:

We are lucky to have Ryan Rhode presenting at our Coaches Convention.  Coach Rhode currently serves as the Assistant Coach and Offensive Coordinator of Denison Lacrosse where the Big Red won their 20th conference championship with a perfect 9-0 record. Prior to Denison, Coach Rhode served on the staff at Washington & Lee for two seasons after a five years stint with Randolph-Macon. Having coached numerous USILA All-Americans, Coach Rhode was himself an All-American for Salisbury University where he won an NCAA record 69 consecutive games for a career record of 79-2.

Michael Jablonski– Assist Coach – Muskingum Univ

Four-year assistant coach and offensive coordinator Michael Jablonski of Muskingum University joins the slate of speakers for our coach’s convention. Coach Jablonski’s Muskies offense re-wrote the record book this past season with total wins, goals, assists groundballs and many other statistical categories.  Prior to his time in Muskingum, Coach Jablonski played and coaches at his alma mater Wheeling Jesuit where he spent time as an Assistant Coach as well as Recruiting Coordinator and as Interim Head Coach.

Chris Ryan – Head Coach – Mercyhurst University

We are very lucky to host Coach Chris Ryan as one of our featured speakers! With over 20 years at the helm of the Lakers, Coach Ryan’s teams have been a fixture on the top of the Division II landscape winning a national championship and qualifying for numerous NCAA Tournaments. Coach Ryan also serves as an Assistant Coach for the Waterdogs of the Premier Lacrosse League where he won the championship in 2022. Hailing from Rochester, NY, Coach Ryan played defense at Monroe Community College before matriculating to Randolph-Macon where he was a 2x All-Conference Defenseman and a captain as a senior.

Alex Skvarch – Head Coach – Walsh University

A staple in North Canton, Coach Alex Skvarch has been at Walsh University for almost ten years.  Starting out as the Assistant Coach for one season, Coach Skvarch has served since 2015 as the Head Coach of the Cavaliers. During his tenure, Coach Skvarch’s teams have qualified for the G-MAC and the GLIAC Conference tournaments. Prior to Walsh University, Coach Skvarch enjoyed the role of Defensive Coordinator at his alma mater Hartwick College where his players garnered myriad awards. A two year captain for the Hawks, Coach Skvarch was selected for the Empire 8 Sportsman of the Year Team as a senior

A.J. Smith – Head Coach – Capital University:

We are proud to welcome Capital University Head Coach A.J. Smith. Prior to arriving in Columbus, Coach Smith served as the Assist. Coach, Def. Coordinator and Recruiting Coordinator at Shenandoah University (Va) while also coaching club lacrosse for Team Maryland. A relentless recruiter, Coach Smith has helped change the landscapes of several rosters, including Ferrum and Adams State. At each institution, Coach Smith’s defensive personnel excelled. Coach Smith played collegiately at both Bellarmine and Virginia Wesleyan, and he represented Team France in the FIL Championship in 2018 earning Team MVP honors.

Anthony Ameo – Burning River

Coach Anthony Ameo has been with Burning River for over 10 years as a player and now a coach. During the year, Coach Ameo coaches face-off personnel at Hudson High School and runs face-off clinics at Burning River, and he will coach for Burning River during the summer. Hailing from Northeast Ohio, Coach Ameo played at St. Ignatius before matriculating at The Ohio State University. As a prep athlete, Coach Ameo dominated the X winning 73% of his face-offs his senior year on his way to a 3rd straight state finals appearance and All-America honors, and at OSU he was an Academic All-Big 10 and OSU Scholar Athlete.

Joe Pille – Assistant Coach – College of Wooster

Excited to have Coach Joe Pille of the College of Wooster at the coaches convention. A recent Ohio transplant, Coach Pille is currently the Defensive Coordinator, Goalie Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Wooster. Previously, Coach Pille served in similar roles on the coaching staffs at Goucher, Alvernia and Roanoke.  While at Goucher, Coach Pille also lectured in history and at Roanoke he was mentor for first-year student’s academic success. Coach Pille played defense at Mount Saint Mary College in New York.

B.J. Jenkins – Burning River

With a wealth of knowledge and experience, Coach B.J. Jenkins in an invaluable member of the Burning River staff. Currently the Head Coach at Gilmour Academy, Coach Jenkins has myriad college coaching experiences ranging from Division I to Division III. Most recently the Head Coach at Hiram College, Coach Jenkins has also coached at Shenandoah University, Lafayette College and Lehigh University. In 2001, Coach Jenkins played in the Master’s Division for Team USA in Perth Australia advancing to the championship game, and the Long Island native attended SUNY Cobleskill before finishing his up an All-Conference career at Cortland State.

Woody Calleri: Founder and CEO of Burning River

Having coached for over 30 years, Coach Calleri brings experience and passion for the game of lacrosse to Northeast Ohio. Coach Calleri’s experience ranges from the youth level to the international level, and every level in between. As the first coach in Northeast Ohio to win a national recruiting championship and a box lacrosse championship, Coach Calleri has mentored over 300 players sending them to over 100 colleges and universities, including 51 All-Americans and 26 Academic All-Americans. Burning River is the measuring stick for club lacrosse program in Ohio and across the country.

P.J. Kavanagh – Burning River Lacrosse

Coach P.J. Kavanagh brings to the Burning River program coaching experience from youth lacrosse to the professional ranks. Growing up in Syracuse, NY, Coach Kavanagh played both high school and college lacrosse in the Central New York Region. Following his playing career, Coach Kavanagh first coached high school lacrosse at several programs before moving into the college ranks. In addition, Coach Kavanagh coached in the professional ranks for the Bridgeport Barrage and Ohio Machine of Major League Lacrosse. Currently an Assistant Coach at Hoover High School, Coach Kavanagh works with several Burning River teams during the summer.